


Christmas in Jotunheim

by AutumnMooncakes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27326377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnMooncakes/pseuds/AutumnMooncakes
Summary: Loki, Thor, Kathleen and Aisha go to Jotunheim on Christmas Eve on what is supposed to be a short diplomatic mission, but it takes longer than expected.
Kudos: 1





	Christmas in Jotunheim

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an alternate timeline where Asgard is attempting to make peace with the Frost Giants. Thor and Jane are still together and Aisha is with Loki.   
> This was written for loki-the-fox.tumblr.com's Holiday Marvel Writing Challenge.

“I thought you didn’t care about Western festivals,” said Aisha.   
Kathleen sighed. “I don’t care about _some_ Western festivals. Like Halloween. I do care about Christmas.”   
The two girls were waiting near the Asgardian palace entrance in winter clothes. Kathleen was East Asian with neat hair that ended under her chin. Aisha was Middle Eastern-Italian and had curly hair that always managed to be messy.   
Aisha adjusted her cuffs of her jacket so that they were over her gloves. “What do you even _do_ for Christmas?”   
“Put up a tree, get presents,” said Kathleen. “My family also goes over to my uncle’s house on Christmas Eve to have a traditional Christmas dinner.”  
“And you listen to Christmas music.”  
“I listen to Christmas music all year round.” Kathleen laughed.   
“What is even the point of this holiday?” Loki approached them both, tucking a knife into his coat. He was wearing a fur coat on top of his armor, even though he probably wouldn’t need it.   
“It was originally an important Christian festival,” said Kathleen. “Now it’s just a commercial money-spinner.”   
“Midgardians know nothing.” Loki was shaking his head. “Your so-called religious holiday is a pervasion of many things the Norsemen held sacred.”   
“What?” said Aisha.   
“That’s true,” said Kathleen. “I think our modern image of Santa Claus is partly based on Odin. Holly and mistletoe are drawn from Norse beliefs, too.”  
“If you could stop showing off your knowledge for _five seconds -”_  
Thor came towards them, in a fur cape and gloves, carrying his hammer. “Alright, everyone ready?”  
They mounted the horses that had been prepared for them and rode out of the palace and onto the Bifrost.   
Kathleen and Aisha chattered endlessly about Christmas traditions. Thor had already heard most of them from Jane. When they dismounted at Heimdall’s observatory, they were discussing Santa Claus.   
“Should I ever encounter Santa, how do appease him?” said Loki.   
“Technically you’re supposed to be asleep when he comes,” said Kathleen. “But if you want to be safe, don’t be naughty. And don’t shoot him out of the sky if he starts throwing coal at you.”   
Thor seemed puzzled by her last statement. Loki chuckled.   
“I’ve never believed in Santa,” said Kathleen.   
“Me, neither,” said Aisha. “In Italy, a witch called _La Befana_ is gives out presents.”   
“Do you believe in her?” Loki asked.   
“No.”  
Heimdall activated the Bifrost with this sword, and they could hear the mechanism starting up with a loud whir.   
________________________________________  
The wormhole sucked them in, and they began rocketing through space along a stream of lights, with no sign of slowing down. Kathleen nearly lost her breath.   
A planet rushed up to meet them, and they were deposited onto a frosty surface. Kathleen almost fell over.   
The capital of Jotunheim was always dismal compared to Asgard. It was nearly impossible to see in the darkness, and everything was the same shade of blue. Kathleen felt the cold air come through her clothes, but it didn’t bother her.  
To most people, their surroundings looked like a natural glacial landscape. If they looked closer, though, it was obvious that the ice had been carved into pillars and arches.   
They walked through the city, Kathleen humming ‘Winter Wonderland’ and Aisha looking glum. Several Frost Giants noticed them, but left them alone.   
They approached the Frost Giant palace, the first building that had been repaired after the Casket had been brought back. The walls were complete, the pillars reached the ceiling, and the king’s throne looked brand-new.   
The Jotun’s problems had not ended, however. Thor and Loki had traveled to Jotunheim more times in recent months than they had during the rest of their lives. Their new treaty was a fairer one, but treaties could be broken. Diplomatic visits were what kept the relationship between the two realms stable. They were now looking into establishing a system of trade to provide Jotunheim with resources.  
Once the news got around, a few well-meaning Asgardians had prepared goods to give away, even though they had little idea what the Jotun actually needed.   
“That’s the spirit of Christmas,” Kathleen had said cheerfully.  
However, that idea had yet to be implemented. Trade would require the use of either the Bifrost or cargo ships, but many of the Jotun feared the destructive powers of the Bifrost, and Jotunheim was not equipped to receive spaceships. Thor and Loki had come to negotiate this problem.   
Utgard, the new king of Jotunheim, rose to greet them. Like all Frost Giants, he was tall and blue, with symmetrical designs etched into his skin. His red eyes were warm and pleasant. “Welcome. Are you tired after your journey? We can offer you food and drink.”  
“No, thank you,” said Loki politely.   
Kathleen secretly wanted to know what Jotuns ate and drank.   
“I understand the convenience of the Bifrost, but our people fear it,” said Utgard, in a regretful tone. “Feelings towards Asgard are already contemptuous, and periodic use of the Bifrost would only make them escalate.”  
“We discussed the possibility of opening a spaceport here,” said Loki.   
“It will not be so simple. Our terrain is hazardous, our storms deadly,” said Utgard. “And we know little of your Asgardian aircrafts and the necessary infrastructure.”   
“Can the Casket help with that?” Kathleen asked.   
“Yes,” said Utgard. “We can bring you to a possible site.”   
A loud howling sound came from outside.   
“A storm has started,” said Utgard. “Apologies. You may eat and drink and be refreshed. We can go when the storm stops.”   
A guard led them through the palace hallways to a small room. It had ledges that were probably supposed to act as furniture.   
The guard tapped the walls, and they lit up with a luminous white glow. The air nipped at Kathleen’s face.   
Loki sat down, but Aisha and Thor walked around the room without touching anything. Aisha wiped her glasses on her coat.   
“Looks like we’ll be staying in Jotunheim longer than anticipated,” said Thor.   
“This was not how I was expecting to spend Christmas Eve,” said Kathleen. But she wasn’t disappointed. “Now we’ve got a _white Christmas!”_   
Her listeners didn’t react.   
Kathleen lowered her hands. “Oh, come on, you guys, I’m completely snow-deprived.”   
Snow gusted through a window. Aisha held her curls away from her face and stepped backward.   
The cold was invigorating Kathleen. She wanted to wander out into the blizzard and enjoy the snow.   
“What did Christmas have to do with the Vikings?” said Aisha.   
“The Vikings used to celebrate a Midwinter Feast in honor of their gods,” said Loki. “They would sacrifice boars and offer gifts to the Norns.”  
“Now we sacrifice turkeys and offer gifts to each other,” Kathleen joked.   
“Jane told me that Santa has eight reindeer,” said Thor. “I believe it is not a coincidence that the Allfather rides an eight-legged horse.”   
Kathleen tried to picture Odin flying through a sky in the sleigh with a huge sack of presents. It didn’t sound like something he would do.   
Aisha jumped up and down to warm up. “What other Christmas stuff came from the Vikings?”   
“The Vikings believed that the spirits of trees went away in the wintertime,” said Loki. “So they decorated the trees to encourage them to return.”   
“I didn’t know that,” said Kathleen. “Aisha, do you need another jacket?”   
“No, I’m fine.”  
“They would also decorate their houses with plants to ward off evil,” Loki added. “But I doubt either of you believe in tree spirits, so what is your Christmas tree _for?”_   
“It’s to put presents under,” said Aisha.   
“You have stockings for that,” said Thor.   
“My parents ran out of ideas for what to put in my stocking,” said Kathleen. “A few years ago, I got a jar of jam. After that I decided I had outgrown it.”  
“Scandinavian children had the tradition of leaving their shoes out so that they could be filled with presents,” said Loki.   
“Oh, yeah. I think they still do that.” Kathleen saw that the storm didn’t seem to be lessening.   
“I wonder what sort of food they planned to bring us,” said Loki.   
“What do Frost Giants eat?” said Thor. “There’s nothing here.”   
“There has to be _something_ around here,” said Kathleen. “Or they would have built their capital city somewhere else.”   
As if on cue, the giants emerged from the swirling snow, unbothered by the snowstorm. They were carrying dark slabs of meat and containers bundled in cloth.   
No one else reached for the food, so Kathleen took one of the containers. The clear liquid inside was surprisingly warm. “This can be our Christmas dinner.”   
“What is ‘Christmas’?” one giant asked.   
“It’s a Midgardian festival,” Kathleen answered.  
The giants’ expressions immediately changed. “You did not tell us it was a festival time for you,” said one of them. “What do you usually eat at such a feast?”   
“Uh, turkey, ham, lamb, potatoes …” Kathleen realized that none of those terms would mean anything to the Jotun. “Just meat and vegetables.”   
“Usually Italians don’t eat meat on Christmas Eve,” said Aisha. “We eat fish.”   
“We eat seafood too,” said one of the giants.   
Some of the Jotun left and came back with more food. They appeared to have a very protein-heavy diet.   
“This is like the Ice Hotel,” said Kathleen, holding up a cup made of ice. “Cheers.”  
“Ice Hotel?” one of the Frost Giants asked.   
“It’s a hotel made of ice on Midgard,” said Kathleen. “Every room has a different -” She caught sight of Aisha’s narrowed eyes. “Never mind. Let’s eat.”   
“I did not realize Midgardians showed that much appreciation for ice.” The giant looked proud.   
Most of the food was very hard and very bitter, but Kathleen tried not to show it.  
The giants stood around them, looking slightly concerned.   
“Won’t you eat, too?” Loki asked the giants.  
“This feast is for you,” one of the giants responded.   
It was funny, Kathleen thought. People constantly talked about the fact that Christmas was a winter festival, but hardly any of them seemed to take into account what that really meant. She was surrounded by ice, eating food that had been preserved for storage. It gave her a whole new perspective on what the warmth and joy of Christmas had originally meant.   
Loki raised his eyebrows playfully at Kathleen. “How’s that for a Midwinter Feast?”  
She turned to the Frost Giants. “Thank you very much,” she said, smiling. “We’ll get you your Christmas presents as soon as we can.”

**Author's Note:**

> Credit for the headcanons about the Jotun’s choices of food goes to dictionarywrites.tumblr.com.


End file.
